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.P. A. SIMMONS & G. J. HENRY.- ORE GONGENTRATOR. No. 289,152. Patented Nov. 2'7, 1883.

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ORE OONGBNTRATOR.

Patented Nov. 27,1883.

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P. A. SIMMONS 8210. J. HENRY. ORE OONGENTRATOR. I Nu-289,152. Patented Nov. 27, 1883.

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'P. A. SIMMONS 82; C. J. HENRY. ORE GONOENTRATOR.

No. 289,152. Patented NOY. 27, 1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT "OFF CE."

PETER A. SIMMONS AND CHARLES J. RY, OF LEADVILLE, COLORADO.

ORE-CONCENTRATOR.

QIPEGIFICATI0N forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,152, dated November 27, 1883.

Application filed June 9, 1883.

invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Concentrators, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

' This invention pertains to improvements in ore-concentrators, having for its object to effactually and thoroughly remove gangue from nietalliferous ore; and it consists of apparatus for carrying out these ends, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of our invention. Fig.2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof, taken on the line a: a, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, detail views. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail, in plan, of the lower end of the machine. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on line 3/ 3 Fig. 1, in a plane perpendicular to the general plane of the frame; and Fig.9 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the twolowermost pans of one series.

A designates a frame-work, which, for th purposes of this invention, is constructed longitudinally on either side (see Fig. 2) with inclined timbers a a, and above these with a single inclined timber, a, Fig. 2, arranged at about its center.

B Bare two long rectangular frames, supported in an inclined position upon flexible uprights or bars I) Z), connected thereto and to the inclined timbers a a. of the frame A,to allow said frame to have lateral vibratory motion, the purpose of which will appear hereinafter. The means of connection between said bars I) and the frames and the beams per ones in the inclined rectangular frames B B. These frames are rigidly connected together by crosspieces d, located at either end, and at intervals beneath the plates 6.

(No model.)

Their side pieces or bars are grooved longiplates, e, which have afiixed to them socketed pieces or bearings 6, whose upper surfaces are of not so great an inclination as that of the plates e, which bearings receive the axes f, upon which the pans D are mounted and secured. The plates 6 are adapted to be held,

respectively, by means of pawls e, pivoted to the sides of the frames B B and engaging with stops or projections e" on said plates. As shown in Fig. 7, this arrangement permits of the independent holding of any one of the plates, with its pan, hereinafter described, while the adjacent upper pan is being,and after having been, removed, as is required in shifting the pans from one point to another during the concentrating process. Beneath the plates of the lowermost pans of the two frames are two slides, g g, with their side edges adapted to fit and move in longitudinal grooves Figs. 6 and 8, in the said frames, and with their lower edges, g, Fig. 7, bent or turned up to hold the lowermost plates from sliding out of their grooves and out of the frames, these slides themselves being held in their grooves by straps h, connected thereto, and to a common shaft, E, around which they are wound, said shaft being suitably journalcd in the lower inclined beams, a, of the frame A. The shaft E is provided with cranks E and ratchets E, which' engage pawls E, hung on the sides of the outer inclined beams, a, of frame A. The pans D are arranged, it will be observed, successively one in a lower or higher plane than the other, or in a stair-step manner, the uppermost ones of which we style the 5 cleaning pans, and thosenext to these the feed pans, while all the rest we style the f concent-rating pans. To the axes or shafts of the pans are fixed cogged or toothed disks D,

by pawls F to give the pans an intermittent rotary mot-ion, as presently described, said pawls being held in engagementwith the cogged disks of the pans by springs F and which pawls and springs are attached to a longitudinally-reciprocating frame, G, presently described.

F Fig. 7, are springs actuating retaining-pawls F, which act in the toothed disks tudinally on the inside to receive a series of Figs. 4 and 7, which are adapted to be engaged D, Fig. 4, and hold the pans as against reac= tion when said pans are released from the actuating-pawls F, these springs and pawls being secured in suitable apertures provided in the sides of the frame 13.

G is a transverse shaft, suitably journaled at the upper end of the frame A, in two posts or uprights thereof, and to which'is applied a fixed driving-pulley, G, and a loose pulley, G and a beveled pinion, H, with which pini011 engages the corresponding pinion, J, on the upper end of an inclined shaft, K, supported in blocks or bearings i, secured upon the upper inclined beam,a, of the frame A. The shaft K carries cams j j, which, as it is revolved by the driving-shaft G, strike against projections k L on the opposite sides of the frames B, and beneath frame G, between which frames-B the shaft K is arranged, and thereby imparts to the said frames, with their superposed pans, a laterally vibratory motion, to facilitate the precipitation of the ore and friction,while the gangue or impurities are carried off by the overflow of the water from thepans. Synchronal with this movement of the said parts, the frame G, carrying actuatingpawls F, Fig. 7 is subjected to a longitudinallyreciprocating motion, whereby the pans re ceive an intermittent rotary motion to more thoroughly agitate and concentrate the precious metal by the following mechanism:

Upon the shaft G is an eccentric, Z, which actuates a rod or pitman, L, Fig. 2, connected to a crank-shaft, M, suitably journaled in uprights of the frame A. One end of this shaft is connected by a crank-arm, m, to a rod, on, which has at its inner end a crossbar, 0, connected to parallel upright levers p, fulcrumed at the opposite inner sides of the frames B at N, Fig. 2, and pivoted to frame G by means of crossbar p. The upper ends of these 1evers are connected to and vibrate, with longitudinally-reciprocating motion, the frame G, carrying the pan-actuating pawls F. The frames B are held in position upon frame A by rods (1, connected to the same as shown in Fig. 1, partlyin dotted lines, and Fig. 9. The crank-arm an, Fig. 2, has a series of adjusting apertures, whereby the vibratory movement of the frame G, carrying the actuatingpawls of the pans, may be varied to vary the inter mittent rotary motion of the pans, as may be required. Frame G consists of twolongitudinal bars Y Y, and two transverse bars, Y, Fig. 1, resting upon the inner longitudinal bars of frames B, and it is secured and oscillatedth'ereon bymeans of the levers 1), Fig. 2, which project on the inner side and above the frames B, and are pivoted to frame G.

Rubber or elastic cushions or buffers r r are secured to frame 13, beneath the frame G, to prevent the too sudden collision of theframes B with the blocks or bearings i, and hence the sudden jarring of the pans, while permitting them to have sufficient jar for the proper agitation and concentration of the precious metals 0]. ore.

It will be seen that with the oreor precious metals placed inthe feed-pans next to the topmost or cleaning pans in a comminuted state, water being poured therein upon the ore, and this operation being continued, the water will float off the gangue or impurities from these pans into the pans next belowthe concentrating-pans-which will also catch any light particles of precious metals or ore that may have overflowed with the impurities, which process will continue on down with all the pans. Vhile this is taking place the in termittent rotary motion of the pans and the laterally-vibratory motion transmitted thereto from the laterally-vibratory frame, together with the jarring, will cause the thorough concentration of the ore or precious metals. The topmost pans can be removed at the desired stage of the process, and the pans next below moved into their place by turning the shaft E, that operates the belt k, that moves the slides g 9, arranged under the lowermost pans. Af ter this the previously lowermost pan -sup porting plates can be retained at their point of elevation by means of pawls c and stops above described, and the slide can then be dropped to its original position by slackening or unwinding the belt h, which will permit the previously uppermost removed pans to take the place of the previously lowermost pans. It is obvious that this operation can be kept up until the positions of all the pans have been successively shifted to enable the more effectual concentration of the ore in each pan. The comminuted ore, together with water, is fed, either by hand or automaticfeeding machinery,

into the second highest of a series of pans ar-' ranged in successive steps on an inclined plane, as aforesaid, wherein the relatively heavier metallic particles of the comminuted ore are caused to gravitate to -the bottom, and the lighter particles to rise to the surface by the conjoint motions of the pans and the levigating action of the water, which causes the lighter portions of the ore to flow with the water from the second pan down into the third pan, where the continuous motions aforesaid cause a further settling of the heavier particles, while the lighter portions are made to rise to the surface and to flow from the third pan, and so continuously downward through the whole series of pans, in every one of which the relatively heavier particles are separated from the lighter ones in the same manner as hereinbefore described, until the material which flows outof the lowest pan is mostly deprived of all metallicparticles. The next step in the process is removing the cleaning or uppermost pan from the series and emptying it when the. ore therein is sufficiently concentrated, and

simultaneously moving upward one step on the inclined plane the remaining pans, and thus carrying the previous feed-pans into the position of the cleaning-pans and placing an empty pan at the lower end of the series. Thus the.

ore is successively more and more deprived. of its lighter particles, the heavier remaining in pawls actuating the pans, substantially as and the pans, and thus the separation of the heavy metallic particles from the light gangue particles is effected.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an ore-concentrator, the combination, with the pans having teeth or cogs, of thelongitudinally-reciprocating frame providedwith pawls for imparting an intermittent rotary motion to the pans, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an ore-concentrator, the pans having teeth or cogs, in combination wit-h frame B, provided with pawls for retaining the pans against reaction, and frame G, provided with for the purpose set forth.

3. In an ore-concentrator, the pans having teeth or cogs, and the frame supporting said pans, in combination with frame G, provided with pawls for actuating the said pans, pawls for retaining said pans against reaction, and mechanism for imparting a lateral jarring or vibratory motion to the pansupporting frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an ore-concentrator, the combination,

with pans, the pan-supporting frames, and means for flexibly supporting said frames, of the shaft K, provided with cams adapted to operate said frames, elastic buffers arranged i to modify the force of the collision .of frames B and the blocks or bearings i of shaft K, sub- 1 stantiaily as and for the purpose set forth.

4 In an ore-concentrator, the combination of the pans D, the longitudinally grooved frames B, and the plates e, adapted to fit into said frames and support the pans D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In an ore-concentrator, the combination, with the frames B, provided with pawls, and the pans D, having teeth or cogs D, of the longitudinally reciprocating frame G, provided with pawls engaging the teeth or cogs of the pans, and the driving mechanism, substan tially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In an ore-concentrator, the pan-supporting plates, the pans, and the longitudinallyslotted frames, in combination with the slides having upturned lower edges, the shafts, and belts, said belts being connected to said slides and said shafts, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of the pans and the pan-supporting frames B, provided with slots, grooves, and pawls, the pan-supporting plates 6, adapted to move in the grooves and provided with projections or stops engaged by said pawls, the slide 1, hav ing an upturned edge, and the slide-adjusting mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

PETER A. SIMMONS. CHARLES J. HENRY.

Witnesses:

HERBERT GEsTow, A. I. STERLING. 

